My website has been hacked!
My website has been hacked - A drama in 4 acts. The plot analysis and author's comment: Perhaps you might think that it's not such a great idea for a web developer to admit that his website has been hacked. We're supposed to be fully conversant with all the strange, weird and nasty ways that people with far too much time on their hands decide to use it. We should be above it, immune, savvy and untouchable. There's the first mistake. The reality is that even the most secure websites can eventually be broken. Just like the unsinkable Titanic, a website can [...]
Web Development Tips : Chrome Extensions
There are hundreds of Chrome Extensions available to make your browsing and development experience easier. I'm not going to concentrate on the end user experience here - instead I'll point out the kind of tools that make my life easier as a developer. Tools that allow me to get information faster, to diagnose problems and to deliver better product to my clients. In this post I've split the Chrome Extensions up into the following categories: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Accessibility Design Tools Developer Tools SEO: SEO & Website Analysis by woorank An easy-to-use Chrome Extension that quickly analyses a page and provides an [...]
It’s Time
This isn't about politics, or even time itself . It's about how our insatiable need for technology supersedes practicality. Before I dive into it, I'll remind you that I would class myself as a geek - I love technology, software, and all things that go beep. I've always wanted to own a time machine. But I've learned to be more pragmatic as my life has progressed and watched Dr Who instead. Some people may remember watching the Dick Tracy Show on television (an animated cartoon created a long time ago in 1961). The lead character, Dick Tracy had this amazing watch which completely captured [...]
Netflix available in Australia from March 24
Netflix will start streaming on March 24 in Australia. The popular US video service announced a launch date in Australia, ending months of speculation. So what does Netflix provide and how do you get it? If you have a Smart TV or Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Playstation & XBox consoles, BluRay players and devices with WiFi connected to an appropriate modem, or you'll be able to view a whole host of movies and TV shows as they stream to your device(s). What will the Netflix content quality be like? If you mean quality in terms of image and audio quality rather than 'will I get [...]
Twitter joins Advocacy group to stop harassment of women
Harassment of women online is at an unprecedented level. WAM, the non-profit organisation (Women, Action and the Media) and Twitter have got together to try and tackle this growing problem. They've created this form that makes it easier to report unsavoury behaviour. Some may say that this is just paying lipservice to the masses, but Twitter representatives have said that the WAM 'authorised reporter' status allows it to 'escalate' the harassment report and allow Twitter to build a more detailed pattern of troll behaviour so that steps may be taken to improve service and protect customers. Threats made online are [...]
Android co-founder jumps ship
Andy Rubin leaves Google to set up startup incubator for hardware technology. Rubin sold Android to Google in 2005 and ran the Android development until 2013 when he moonwalked to head up the "moonshot" robotics project team. Now Rubin's focus will be more on hardware than internet services. It'll be interesting to see what his tightly-focussed and entrepreneurial ways will do to hardware development. Google/Android's tight hand-in-glove partnership with Samsung might have persuaded Rubin that a more open arrangement would be better for the end user and his share portfolio so hopefully his team will come up with some really funky that [...]
Google Car (aka Johnny Cab)
Google Car (aka Johnny Cab) I'm sure everyone remembers Arnold's ride in a Johnny Cab in Total Recall. The directors even then understood that a human being would be unlikely to get into a car without a driver, give it directions and then sit back and relax as the car sped through city traffic without a scratch or dent. That's why Johnny (the mechanical half-man on a stick with a smart mouth) had to be there. I'm not exactly sure that it ended so well for Johnny, but the boffins at Google have taken the idea and put it on [...]
Are you ready to get Loopy?
Are you ready to get Loopy? Melbourne App Designer Michael Tyson (yes, that's his real name) found himself in the spotlight when Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show) and Billy Joel did a duet singing 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. On it's own, that information would be fairly sensational, as Billy Joel still has an incredible voice. The fact that Jimmy Fallon is no slouch is even more surprising. The fact that they did it together, live, and mixed a multi-track session on an iPad using a $3.99 app called Loopy is the amazing part. It just goes to prove that a [...]
Facebook and Google buy high altitude drones
The news that both Google and Facebook have spent billions of dollars buying up technology companies is not new. Google has bought at least eight top robotics companies, spent masses of cash buying the artificial intelligence company Deepmind and acquired the high-altitude drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace. Facebook, on the other hand, has bought Instagram, the photo sharing network, WhatsApp, a messaging company, Oculus VR, a virtual reality company and Ascenta, the aptly named company that creates high-altitude solar-powered drones that can stay airborne for weeks. Conspiracy theorists might speculate that the drones are all about keeping tabs on you, but [...]
Heartbleed Security Bug
Heartbleed Security Bug - Will you be affected? There's been a flurry of news on the web over the last few days about this because clearly some of the major news services needed some front-page pull. The vulnerability has been common knowledge for over a year, and the affected versions have been available for at least two years. Let's get a few things straight before you start running around like headless chooks changing your passwords, moving your Internet Service provider and generally making life difficult for yourself. What is Heartbleed? The Heartbleed Bug is a serious vulnerability in the popular [...]
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